City and County of San Francisco

San Francisco Public Works

GENERAL - DIRECTOR'S OFFICE
City Hall, Room 348
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, S.F., CA 94102
(415) 554-6920
www.sfdpw.org

Edwin M. Lee, Mayor

Mohammed Nuru, Director

DPW Order No: 184901

The Director of Public Works held a Public Hearing on Monday, April 25, 2016 commencing at
5:30 PM at City Hall, Room 416, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102.
The hearing was to consider Order No. 184789 to consider the removal of seven (7) privately
maintained street trees with replacement of six (6) street trees adjacent to 201 Steiner St.
Findings:
The property owner submitted a tree removal permit application and after the trees were
evaluated, Urban Forestry staff approved the removal of the seven ficus trees (Ficus microcarpa
Nitida) based on the very poor structure of the trees and met many of the criteria for removal.
The reasons for removal listed on the application by property owner were concerns about the
ficus species damaging the sidewalk and the establishment of tree removal criteria for ficus trees
by the City to address public safety concerns.
At the hearing, Urban Forestry staff testified that the trees have multiple competing stems with
narrow points of attachment and deep bark inclusions, a structural condition that makes this tree
species more prone to fail than other tree species. This species with these structural weaknesses
present is experiencing large stem failures and the tree removal criteria for ficus trees was
established to address these public safety concerns.
At the hearing approximately 11 members of the public testified against the proposed removals
citing their concerns about the impact that the loss of the large mature trees would have on the
immediate neighborhood and block. At least 28 written protests were also received as well as a
petition signed by 69 people stating their opposition to the proposed removals.
The property owner testified at the hearing to explain their reason for seeking the removal of the
trees and cited their concerns about public safety, the tree removal criteria for ficus trees, and the
concern about repeated sidewalk damage caused by this species and damage to the sewer line.
The property owner also testified that the building is undergoing a seismic retrofit. The arborist
hired by the property owner to evaluate the trees testified about the management challenges
associated with ficus trees, the poor structure of the subject trees and failure potential.
Urban Forestry staff testified that the current sidewalk damage is limited in scope, and can be
repaired without destabilizing the trees.

San Francisco Public Works

Making San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant, and sustainable city.

Based upon the large amount of public protest that the proposed removal of the seven ficus trees
generated, the structure of each tree was re-evaluated. Based on this re-evaluation, the
Department found that the structural condition of all seven trees is poor but that four of the seven
trees have exceedingly poor structure.
The trees with very poor structure are trees 3, 4, 5 on the Waller St. frontage (the three trees
furthest from the intersection), and tree number 1 on the Steiner St. frontage (the 2nd tree from
the intersection). Retaining tree no. 1 and 2 on Waller St., and tree no. 2 on Steiner St. will allow
the continuity of the existing canopy on the streets to extend all the way to the end of the block,
which addresses concerns that the removal of all seven trees would be too large a visual impact
to these two blocks.
Recommendation:
After consideration of letters and testimonies presented at the hearing and multiple site visits, the
recommendation is to approve the removal of three trees on Waller St. (trees numbered 3, 4, 5 furthest from the intersection) and one tree on Steiner St. (tree number 1 - the 2nd tree from the
corner), and deny the removal of tree no. 2 on Steiner St. and tree number 1 & 2 on Waller St.
The trees approved for removal shall be replaced with minimum 24 box size replacement trees
with a large stature species (at maturity) to be approved by Urban Forestry staff.
Appeal:
This Order may be appealed to the Board of Appeals within 15 days of May 16, 2016.
Board of Appeals
1650 Mission, Room 304
San Francisco, CA 94103
(between Van Ness and Duboce Avenues)
Phone: 415.575.6880
Fax: 415.575.6885
Regular office hours of the Board of Appeals are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.
Appointments may be made for filing an appeal by calling 415-575-6880. All appeals must be
filed in person. For additional information on the San Francisco Board of Appeals and to view
the Appeal Process Overview, please visit their website at
http://sfgov.org/bdappeal/

5/12/2016

Mohammed Nuru

Nuru, Mohammed
Approver 1
Signed by: Nuru, Mohammed

San Francisco Public Works

Making San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant, and sustainable city.